Welcome!

This past weekend, I celebrated my 29th Birthday…the last year in my 20’s.

I am completely fine with my age. Age is just a number and I feel good about where I am in my life and what I have done in my 29 years. I’ve gotten my Masters Degree, seen 7+ countries plus almost every state in the US, bought a house, married a wonderful man, met some new wonderful friends and kept some great old friends.

Friday night Ed, Jess, Kev and I went to our favorite sushi place Kona. We had a blast. After dinner, we went to a haunted house. I love this time of year and I love that my Birthday is during the Fall.

Saturday was the 90s themed party. It was all sorts of craziness. People dressed up as Courtney Love, Men in Black, Wayne and Garth and other various rad 90s clothing like flannels, baby doll t-shirts, converse shoes and jean jackets. It was EPIC. Our friend Mark set up a photo booth, which of course means a lot of silly and hilarious pictures. Here are some highlights:

Yesterday morning I got out of bed and ran my first 5K race in 4 years. I miss doing races. Hopefully I will not let that much time lapse between races again.

In a few weeks, I will run the Hot Chocolate 5K in Chicago too and my goal is to run a half marathon next October.

Eddy and Keenan both joined me this morning and it was nice to have so much support. After the race Eddy told me a story of someone who ran in the race. A man ran in the race while pushing his wife in a running chair. They had run together years ago until an accident which made the wife a paraplegic. So now, they still run together…. but he pushes her.

This is why I run.

Because I can.

My legs work – I can walk, run, hike, jump. To me it would be a shame if I took that for granted.

“Our running shoes are really erasers. Every step erases a memory of a past failure. Every mile brings us closer to a clean slate. Each footstrike rubs away a word, a look, or an event that led us to believe that success was beyond our grasp.” -John Bingham

I found this recently and thought I’d share since I love the message….

The Mayonnaise Jar

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, When 24 hours in a day is not enough; remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.

When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and start to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured it into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded With an unanimous ‘yes.’

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

‘Now,’ said the professor, as the laughter subsided, ‘I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things – God, family, children, health, friends, and favorite passions Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the things that matter like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else – The small stuff. ‘If you put the sand into the jar first,’ he continued, ‘there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, You will never have room for the things that are important to you.

So…

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the dripping tap.

‘Take care of the golf balls first – The things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.’

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled.

‘I’m glad you asked’.

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.’

Everyone remembers what they were doing when they found out what was happening on the East coast on that early Fall morning 9 years ago.

I had gotten up to go to work at Starbucks. I had the TV on watching the Today Show and was getting ready in my room. The first plane hit and I couldn’t understand how a pilot could misjudge so badly that they could accidentally run into the World Trade Center. Even the hosts of the show didn’t know what to say. Everyone was stunned.

But then the second plane hit and everyone realized this was no accident.

I had to leave for work even though I wanted to stay and watch what was happening. I immediately turned the news station on the radio in the car. I listened as they said that a plane flew into the Pentagon. The rest of the drive to work, I was numb.

The whole day at work, customers would come in and update us about what was going on since we had to TV or radio there. I will never forget, a man wearing a suit came in to get coffee and told us that the Towers had fallen. He had tears in his eyes. This was real no matter how much it seemed like a dream.

Starbucks decided to close early that day. We all went home to be with our families and be thankful that we could hug them that night.

I’m not a huge fan of radio or mainstream music, but this song reminds me of my husband. The lyrics are beautiful and he makes me feel this way everyday of my life:

Oh her eyes, her eyes
Make the stars look like they’re not shining
Her hair, her hair
Falls perfectly without her trying

She’s so beautiful
And I tell her every day

Yeah I know, I know
When I compliment her
She wont believe me
And its so, its so
Sad to think she don’t see what I see

But every time she asks me do I look okay
I say

When I see your face
There’s not a thing that I would change
Cause you’re amazing
Just the way you are
And when you smile,
The whole world stops and stares for awhile
Cause girl you’re amazing
Just the way you are

Her nails, her nails
I could kiss them all day if she’d let me
Her laugh, her laugh
She hates but I think its so sexy

She’s so beautifulAnd I tell her every day

Oh you know, you know, you know
Id never ask you to change
If perfect is what you’re searching for
Then just stay the same

So don’t even bother asking
If you look okay
You know I say

When I see your face
There’s not a thing that I would change
Cause you’re amazing
Just the way you are
And when you smile,
The whole world stops and stares for awhile
Cause girl you’re amazing
Just the way you are